


that's all there is to the coastline craze

by lovebeyondmeasure



Series: the lifetime that follows an endless year of ice [4]
Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Awesome Howling Commandos, Awesome Peggy Carter, Day At The Beach, F/M, Ficlet, Fluff, Steve Rogers Has PTSD, Steve pulled from the ice after a year, Team Bonding, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-14
Updated: 2017-09-14
Packaged: 2018-12-29 23:13:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12095544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovebeyondmeasure/pseuds/lovebeyondmeasure
Summary: In the end, it had taken three cars and Howard bribing them all with a trunkload of booze, but with the sea breeze in her hair and Steve at her side, Peggy couldn’t complain about the means to the end.The team goes to the beach, and Steve's a little nervous about the ocean. Peggy notices. They handle it.





	that's all there is to the coastline craze

In the end, it had taken three cars and Howard bribing them all with a trunkload of booze, but with the sea breeze in her hair and Steve at her side, Peggy couldn’t complain about the means to the end. She laughed out loud at Dugan sneaking up behind Dernier to grab the smaller man and dump him in the ocean, Dernier yelling some truly filthy French that had Gabe laughing too hard to translate. 

Suddenly the Commandos were shoving each other and splashing in the surf, for all the world like a group of schoolboys let loose on summer vacation. Howard, who had been pretending to be refined as he sipped amber liquid from a paper cup, grabbed some sort of tube and ran to the action, spraying the men with jets of water. They immediately ganged up on him.

“Steve,” Peggy said, nudging his prone form with one foot,” “why don’t you join in? They look- goodness, they look like they’re having fun.”

“I’m having fun, too, Peggy,” Steve murmured, turning on the blanket. “I can’t sunburn anymore and I’m really warm for the first time in ages.”

She smiled at him. “Be that as it may, captain, it would be good for you to interact with your men when you’re not getting shot at.”

Steve cracked an eye open. “I dunno, Pegs, Dum-Dum seems to be ready to open fire.”

He had seized control of Howard’s tube and was spraying them all, laughing maniacally. Peggy nudged Steve again.

“Go on then! Have fun, Steven, for once in this life.”

“Peggy,” he sighed, rolling over. “I’m just…. I don’t want to go in the water, okay? It’s too much like…”

Peggy could have smacked herself. “I’m sorry, darling, I wasn’t thinking. Of course the water reminds you of… that terrible year. You stay right there if you want to.”

Steve closed his eyes again, the sounds of the Commandos shouting at each other mingling with the waves and the gulls. Peggy watched, enthralled, as the men somehow sorted themselves into ad hoc teams and began a war of shoving, tripping, splashing, and some impressively dirty tactics. Howard was on Dugan’s shoulders, calling out maneuvers like a mad general.

Suddenly Steve sat up. “I’m gonna go in,” he said, brow furrowed. “If I don’t start pushing back against the fear now, how will I ever get past it?”

Peggy clapped. “That’s my captain,” she said. “I’ll come with you, if you keep Dernier from stealing my hat again.”

He pulled her up before placing his hands on his hips. “Alright,” he breathed. “Okay. Yeah.”

They walked toward the surf, down the beach from the Howling Commandos, who were truly earning their name. As they got closer to the edge of the sea, Peggy could feel Steve stiffening, but he kept walking. She placed a hand on his arm. 

“You can do it, darling,” she whispered. “It’s warm here, and safe. We won’t let anything happen to you.”

“No. Yeah. It’s fine,” he replied, breathing through his nose. “It’s fine.”

As his feet hit the damp sand, the smell of the ocean rising around them, Steve froze. 

“Steve? You’re fine, I’m here,” she said. “You don’t have to go in the water today. No one will think poorly of you.”

“No, I can do it,” he said, chin jutting out stubbornly. 

He took a stiff step forward, then another. The water kissed the tips of his toes. He stopped again.

“You’re doing wonderfully, dear,” she said beside him. “There’s nothing to be afraid of here. There’s just us.”

Taking a gulping breath, Steve suddenly threw himself forward a few steps, running into the surf before plunging under. Peggy gasped, then laughed. Of course Steve would simply fling himself into the ocean to deal with his overwhelming fear of it. Really, what else had she expected?

He popped out of the water, eyes wide, hair slicked back, gasping for air.

“Steven! What were you thinking?” Peggy laughed. “Are you okay?”

“It’s colder under water!” he said, looking at the ocean accusingly.

“Too cold?” Peggy had no desire to talk him through one of his moments back in the plane again, not when everything was going so well.

“No,” Steve said, tilting his head to the side. “Not too cold. After laying in the sun, this is actually kinda nice.” He shook his head, splattering Peggy with seawater.

“Think you’re ready to get out?” Peggy asked, wading carefully deeper, the water now up to her ankles.

“No,” he said again, looking down the beach. “I think Morita needs some backup, is what I think.” He waded back out, then pelted down the beach towards the Commandos. Gabe saw him coming and whooped a welcome. Steve launched himself at an unsuspecting Falsworth, who yelped as they hit the water. 

Peggy, laughing, decided that today was the best day she’d had in a long time. Perhaps she’d have to thank Howard for forcing them all to the seashore.

She watched him attempt to dunk Steve, who tossed him over a shoulder. Well, perhaps not.

**Author's Note:**

> Anonymous said: What about Steve and Peggy going swimming one day and him feeling uncomfortable/panicky about the water but in the end it's all fine
> 
> Here you go! I didn't want Steve to have full panic attack, and then he just....flung himself into the water. Because he's a _moron._ But we love him anyway. And yes, Howard has invented a sort of proto-water gun, he's a genius and the beach thing was his idea, I'll remind you.
> 
> Title from the Beach Boys song "Catch a Wave"
> 
> Feel free to send me more prompts, any time, over @ lovebeyondmeasure.tumblr.com


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